It’s still all about the apps…
Sep 3rd, 2008 by Pete Manca
In my last post we took a bit of a journey back through time looking at various technology waves of the past. In this entry, I want to explore how I think applications will be purchased going forward, as it’s important to understand the business model, which has a direct impact on the underlying technology.
The diagram shows how I envision applications being purchased in the future.
An IT manager decides that he/she needs a new application or needs to renew a license for an existing application. Once this decision is made, it goes for approval. This too can be automated, though that is mostly irrelevant to the story, as this technology exists today.
What is relevant is how the application license is ordered and delivered. Rather than buying a generic license, the IT manager buys a license with certain attributes. These describe things like the term of the license, the reliability requirements (e.g. software HA, DR, etc.), performance requirements (e.g. 200MB/sec IP, 100 MB/sec IO), etc.
The attributes are then used to purchase the application and decide what is the appropriate hardware for the application to be deployed on (e.g. one that can deliver on the performance and/or reliability attributes).
Taken another step further, the application may come “wrapped” in a virtual machine container, allowing it to be portable across a diverse set of hardware, though the model should work for both virtual and physical machines. The picture below gives an indication of what this might look like.
Finally, you can envision an eBay-like auction capability where buyers and sellers arbitrate over the price of the application, which automates and streamlines the selling process and in theory, drives the prices lower.
So, that’s how I see applications getting delivered. Next, I’ll be looking at how to automate the provisioning of the underlying platforms to support this model.
Would love to get some feedback, so be sure to leave a comment or send me an e-mail with your thoughts too.
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